


Heat in the rain

by PerriewinkleNerdie



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novels)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:47:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23863984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerriewinkleNerdie/pseuds/PerriewinkleNerdie
Summary: It's her birthday, he comes for a visit.
Relationships: Ethan Ramsey/Main Character (Open Heart)
Kudos: 14





	Heat in the rain

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello, hello! How is everyone? I hope that we are all kicking ass and enduring it as best as we can.  
> It's AU time again (can be read as a regular fic though). I got carried away (as I usually do) and this got so long that I had to chop it in half. This is part 1, part 2 will be out later this week I hope.  
> Enjoy! <3

„Mom, calm down, we’ll be home in an hour at most.” A heavy sigh escaped her lips, her fingers wrapped tightly around her phone. The commotion happening next to her was making her head spin, shouts and raised voices enhancing the shallow feel in her chest. Her mother’s voice rang in her ear as she tried to explain to her that she couldn’t exactly hurry the plane up and that as soon as it touched down, they got to the waiting area waiting for the suitcases to be available, so they could pick them up, and get home, just in time for dinner.

They’ve been dating for what felt like forever, and Ethan has met her family, piece by piece. They _adored him._ While at first, he was nervous, so nervous in fact that his hands were shaking and his heart was racing, the moment he exchanged two sentenced with her parents, he was pulled into the Herondale family with a warm welcome. His relationship with his own family was complicated, so the openness and honesty of her family was like taking a breath of fresh air, an entirely different world. 

It’s the middle of February when she makes the decision to travel all the way back to England to visit her parents. Just a couple of days before her birthday, and stay there until March, with her classes being over and her exams all passed.

Ethan encouraged her to let herself take it easy for just a moment, to stop and look at the world for what it was. She turned around to look at him, tearing her eyes away from the picture she was observing, the walls of the museum surrounding them from all the sides. Her eyebrow strikes up slightly in amusement and her lips curl in a cunning grin as she took a slow step towards him, looking up at him.

“Are you that eager to get rid of me?” she whispered, looking at his lips intensely before averting her eyes to make their gazes meet. His pupils dilated at her words, first in shock, and then, upon registering her actions, in a spark of unexpected desire.

“Me? Never.” he embraced her, pulling her up slightly to leave a kiss on her lips. One touch of his was able to reduce her into a mess that was impossibly hard to reassemble, and complete with that infuriating smirk of his that told her that he was planning something, there was just no way not to believe every word he was saying. “Your Mom misses you, so does your Dad, and I’m sure Will would love to have his sister back.”

“Did you let him convince you to make me go back home so he could have someone to argue with again?” she asked, her voice full of suspicion, noticing how a shadow passed his face. “I knew it! You _really_ want to get rid of me.”

“I don’t, but your parents said that they would like to have you home for your birthday.” Draping his arm over her shoulder, he pulled her to his side, kissing her forehead, the soft touch lingering for just a moment.

“But what if I want you with me for my birthday?”

“I already talked to Harper. She said that if you agreed to go and visit your parents, I can get the last week of February off, so I can join you and your family in England. Spend some time with them, celebrate with you…” his voice trailed off, the tips of his fingers outlining the side of her arm.

“I am _so_ impressed with the level of preparation that went into that little plan of yours. Okay, fine, I’ll go.” Claire muttered under her breath, allowing him to pull her into a tight embrace, knowing that there must have been more to the story.

By the time she arrived at her parents’ house, she managed to forget what that story could have been. Far too ecstatic about finally seeing her family, after so much time away, she let it go, brushing it off as something that most likely was just a passing feeling.

Not much has changed. Her room was still her room, just like she left it before she flew all across the ocean to work alongside Ethan. Her walls were covered with books and music sheets, the piano still stood proudly on the far end of the room and her bed was still covered by that horrendous blanket from the time when she decided that she would make her own. In retrospective, it was not the worst experience of her life, and looking at the blanket now, it could have been much worse, but to say it was great would be an overstatement.

Keeping in mind that Ethan would arrive in the next couple of days, a thought of getting rid of all the embarrassing stuff crossed her mind once or twice, but as quickly as it entered her field of vision, it was thrown out by her just as fast. He let her see his personal space that one time when his parents invited them both for dinner, and while his cheeks reddened, she couldn’t have asked for a better inside view of what made him the man he was now. To take that opportunity away from him would be a crime. 

An itch in the back of her mind began to appear more and more the closer his arrival date was. An evening before, she got out all the art materials she owned, grinning wickedly. If it was anybody else, she probably wouldn’t put so much effort into welcoming them, but it was Ethan. And she liked being overly excessive with him, even if just to tease him. His reactions were so predictable to her at that point that she could almost see the blush that would color his cheeks the moment he saw her. It’s been almost a week, and while he did get her a proper sendoff, she couldn’t wait to see his face, to be back in his arms.

Now, standing in the crowded room, surrounded by all the people that wait for their loved ones, that embark on new adventures, she felt a familiar tingle run down her back. It felt cliché, to get ‘butterflies’ at the mere thought of him, and she was sure that he would laugh and taunt her with it, but she just couldn’t help herself. She could argue that she loved him, most probably would tell him that ‘she’s not going to apologize for getting lost in him when she knew damn well he did that with her too’ and then attack him with kisses until they were out of breath. She knew he would not complain, he never did.

Ethan took a deep breath as he took the last step down the stairs, walking out of the plane. The air was different than in Boston, almost lighter, but he most likely was biased. The quality of air had nothing to do with any natural reasons, nothing to do with cars and pollution or the proximity to the water.

It was her, and only her. And he knew it damn well.

His jacket did a poor job at protecting him from the biting cold that tore itself underneath the thin fabric of his shirt, brushing over the skin of his abdomen. It felt like a thousand needles of ice, pricking his skin every time he moved, and he was ready to get inside. Not because it was warm in there, but because every room he crossed, every meter he encountered, brought him closer to Claire. And he couldn’t wait.

The baggage claim couldn’t take any longer. Every other time he flew on the plane, it was frustrating, but this time, it was seemingly worse. Restlessness made his muscles ache, made his skin crawl, caused him to walk back and forth.

He could still remember, very vividly, the times in which upon seeing a man act the exact same way he was behaving now, his mind would be swarmed with thoughts of how impatient the man was and how ridiculous he looked. Now he understood, more than he ever thought would be possible, that it was nearly impossible to sit still, because every cell in his body told him to go.

The amount of people in the waiting area was giving him a headache. He was never good with crowds, any person working with him knew how much he hated crowds, so the sea of people he saw before him was too much. Most of them were standing or sitting, and there were a couple of people holding the cards with names written on it. One card stood out from the rest, at the very end of the line. Blue and green glitter, hearts and flowers, handwritten in a neat style.

_Your pancakes suck_

The card covered the face of the person holding it, until it moved down, revealing the very smug Claire, her lips curled in a satisfied smirk. He moved towards her, his suitcase behind him, walking fast, but never fast enough. She threw the card aside, meeting him halfway. Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, her face buried in the juncture between his neck and shoulder. Her chest moved as she took a deep breath, his scent so familiar to her now, calming her raging senses and emotions. His hold on her was tight and firm, just as she remembered it to be, one hand pressing her against him. He ran his fingers through her hair, closing his eyes, taking a moment to register that it was not one of many dreams he’s had this past week and that she was actually there, in his arms.

“You’re proud of yourself, aren’t you?” he muttered into her ear, his tone making it sound like a statement more than a question, and the warm breath that brushed against his skin was the only confirmation he needed.

“I was looking for that blush of yours. It’s a myth, a legend, and I just really like proving you wrong.”

He was about to retaliate, when he felt two points of contact, pressing sharply into his sides. A gasp of shock escaped his lips as he jerked away from her, his eyes wide. Claire grinned, winking at him playfully, then took a slow step towards him, brushing his cheek with the back of her fingers.

“I missed you.” she whispered, pulling him down for a tender kiss, so warm it made a hot shiver run down his back. He felt electricity tingling in the tips of his fingers, sparks so tangible he got worried she would feel it when he touched her waist. Nothing could keep him away from her at that moment, not hundreds of people around them, not endless amounts of announcements flowing from their speakers, not the bright lights above their heads. Nothing.

Their walk to the car would have been a whole lot slower if it wasn’t for the downpour that fell from the sky. She pulled on his hand, laughing breathlessly as rain soaked their clothes and hair, making the strands stick to their faces. They threw his suitcase into the back of the car and stumbled inside, turning the heating up to full power. She sent a text to her Mom that they would be a bit later than she previously thought due to the rain, and then pulled out of the parking lot.

“How was your flight?” she asked, taking a careful turn left, turning the radio on and turning the music down so they could talk.

“There was some turbulence, but other than that, it was just a plain, long flight.” he sighed heavily, reclining in his seat so he could look at her without straining his neck. She glanced at him every now and then, her eyes sparkling brightly.

The rain drummed against the outer surface of the car, muffling the sound of music and her humming. She could feel his gaze on her, a flash of heat, pressing against the line between her neck and cheek. The situation on the road got significantly worse and it made her unable to look over to him, so she had no way of knowing that he has leaned so close to her. The first sign of him being close was his breath, making goosebumps rise on her skin. She took a shaky breath, the tension palpable in the air.

“Are you nervous?” he muttered against the slope of her neck, pressing his lips to her pulse point and sucking gently, stealing the last of air she had in her lungs. The back of his fingers brushed her hair back, exposing her shoulder to his ministrations.

“Try ‘excited’.” She panted, her grip on the steering wheel tightening, her knuckles turning pale. He gave her a laugh, a deep rumble that made his chest tremble. His teeth grazed her flesh vaguely, a tease that made her blood run faster in her veins, heading towards her cheeks. She bit her lip, fighting the urge to close her eyes and let him do whatever he wanted to her. He aimed his kisses upwards until he reached her ear, breathing heavily.

“Pull over.”

“What?” she stammered, her green irises darkening significantly, even though he had no way of seeing it.

_“Pull over, Claire.”_

He spoke clearly, confidently, and his voice was filled to the brim with want. She looked in the rearview mirror, checking to see if anyone was driving behind them before taking a sharp turn left, coming to a stop and turning the lights off. She half expected him to pull her to him right away, but when she turned to him, his eyes were trained on her, focusing on one thing at a time. From her soaked clothes, clinging to her body, outlining her curves, to her hair, stuck to her face in soft curls.

Next thing she knew, he was all over her, pressing their lips together with an impatient growl. He grabbed her hips, his height allowing him to tower over her as she sunk into her seat, grabbing fistfuls of his hair and pulling him against her. They kissed with abandonment, so lost in each other that the rest of the world began to melt away.

He bit her lip, pulling on it with a low hum while his hand reached for the lock of her seatbelt, undoing it and flinging the restraining stripe of material away from her body. His palm run over the side of her body in great haste, reacquainting himself with her again, before his hand dove between her legs, grabbing the handle beneath her seat and pulling it, sending her backwards, making room for him to pick her up and pull her to him.

She straddled him, gripping his shoulders to settle herself against him. His arms went around her, pressing them together, causing a choked moan to escape his lips. Her knees pressed into his thighs, her fingers digging into his shoulder blades as he assaulted her neck, biting and sucking on her skin until it turned pink.

“It’s very rude to display such affections in public, Mr. Ramsey.” She breathed heavily, grinning as she put every last bit of her energy into channeling her British accent. He laughed shortly, leaning back to look into her eyes, nudging her nose with his.

“It’s rude to keep me away from you, Ms. Herondale. I can’t be held accountable for all the ungentlemanly things I’m about to do to you.” he whispered, trailing off as he leaned into her again, pecking her lips teasingly a couple of times.

“You never were a gentleman in the first place.”

Ethan shook his head at her comment, grabbing the back of her head and pulling her back into him, kissing her again and again, his other hand running all over her body. She gripped the lapels of his jacket, using the newly found leverage to grind herself against him, eliciting a low growl that escaped his lips.

It was her turn to reach behind him, pushing the button that reclined the back of his seat, causing them both to stumble backwards. His hands flew to her backside, pressing her downwards as his hips moved upwards, a string of muttered curses falling from her lips in broken accent.

“Claire-“ he started saying, his tone warning her that he would lose control any second now, when an obnoxiously loud sound of her phone ringing blasted from the speakers of her car. He groaned, falling back against the seat, covering his face with his arm as she giggled, kissing his cheek briefly before answering the call.

“Claire, are you two alright? The weather is getting worse and worse, do you need help?” her mother’s voice rang in the small space, filled with worry.

“We’re fine, Mom. Going a little slower since it’s so bloody difficult to maintain control…” she winked at Ethan, pressing a finger to her lips and his eyes widened as he realized her Mother could hear every little thing that happened inside of the car. “We’ll be home in about twenty minutes.”

“I’ll make some tea. Does Ethan like chocolate? I baked a cake.”

Claire had to bite her lip to keep herself from bursting out laughing before she answered. “He loves it.”

The call ended and his heavy sigh was the only thing that could be heard in the otherwise completely silent car. She kissed his cheek softly, then moved back to her seat, fixed its position and started the car back up. As it rolled back onto the road, she turned the music on the radio up. He rolled his eyes so loudly she could practically hear it, her laughter ringing in the air.

“That sure sounds familiar.” He muttered as a song from one of their first dates blasted from the speakers.

“Then you won’t mind if I sing along. For old times’ sake.”


End file.
